Roshan Seth to star in new British TV drama series

London: Acclaimed actor Roshan Seth has received an unexpected end-of-year bonus after being selected to star in a brand new British television series about colonial India. Seth, who starred as Jawaharlal Nehru in Richard Attenborough’s film about Mahatma Gandhi, and subsequently Nehru again in Doordarshan’s ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’, will now play Darius, the father of a young Indian clerk desired by Alice, the Viceroy’s private secretary. The series called ‘Indian Summers’ is due to be screened from this coming February on Britain’s Channel Four. If this series of 10 one-hour episodes is successful, there are plans to screen an additional 40 episodes. TNS

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Shinzo Abe returns as Japanese PM after snap election
Tokyo: Japan's Parliament on Wednesday confirmed Shinzo Abe for another term as Prime Minister after his election triumph, but the return to power stirred warnings from China over a bid to change the pacifist constitution. The lower house voted overwhelmingly for 60-year-old Abe with 328 votes against 73 for acting opposition leader Katsuya Okada. That was followed by an upper house poll which officially confirmed Abe as premier. AFP

Pak to raise 5,000-strong force to counter terror
Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday announced formation of a 5,000-strong counter-terrorism force to fight militants as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described the prevailing situation as "extraordinary" and said "extraordinary steps" were required to tackle the menace. The army would prepare and train the force which will be deployed a thousand each in the federal capital and the four provinces — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. PTI

Pak leaders reach consensus on military courts
Islamabad: Pakistan's 12 mainstream political parties reached a consensus on a comprehensive act plan to combat terrorism after a compromise solution on the sticky issue of setting up military courts to tackle terrorism. The conference agreed to the revised proposal naming the courts trying terrorists as speedy courts with an element of military presence within limits of the constitution for a limited period of two years. tns

Unrest in B’desh: Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party  set fire to tyres in a street during a clash with police outside a court in Dhaka on Wednesday during a court appearance by party chief Khaleda Zia. AFP